The need to reduce automotive fuel consumption and emissions is well known. Therefore, vehicles are being developed that reduce reliance on internal combustion engines. Electrified vehicles are one type of vehicle being developed for this purpose. In general, electrified vehicles differ from conventional motor vehicles because they are selectively driven by one or more battery powered electric machines. Conventional motor vehicles, by contrast, rely exclusively on the internal combustion engine to drive the vehicle.
A charging system can be used to connect some electrified vehicles to an external power source, such as a wall outlet or a charging station, to charge the electrified vehicle battery pack. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles, for example, typically include a charge port assembly that provides a port for plugging a charging cord into the charge port assembly. A door of the charge port assembly is manually opened and closed for accessing the port. Existing charge port designs are susceptible to the elements (e.g., rain and snow) during charging and are not capable of preventing the charging cord from being disconnected from the vehicle by unauthorized users.